In laser technology, there is a long felt need for highly polished surfaces on silica based ceramics such as glass-ceramics and the like. Such materials are commonly employed as transmissive windows in laser structure systems and also as substrates for depositing highly reflective coatings. In many laser systems or structures, it is imperative that any mirror surfaces which form part of the laser structure is highly polished so that light scattering, both forward and backscattering, is minimized.